Olympus Mons Ultra - 84hr Vertical Event | 72,590ft

Olympus Mons Ultra — Powered by Skratch Labs®

The Hardest Ultra on Earth. Or Mars.

84 hours. 72,000' Target Summit: Olympus Mons. Only three finishers in history.

The most of any ultra under 200 miles. On Earth. No gondola. No shortcuts. No podium. Just proof. Only attempt this if you have done all the work to get here.
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Olympus Mons Ultra · Powered by Skratch Labs® · 84 Hours · Up to 180 Miles · 72,000' Target Summit: Olympus Mons, Mars · Ranked Top 4 Hardest Ultra Endurance Event Worldwide

reg50$50 off any Solo or Trail Family registration

brave70$70 off: Veterans, active military, and first responders

buddy5050% off Trail Buddy registration

🏔️ About the Olympus Mons Ultra — Powered by Skratch Labs®

Named for Olympus Mons on Mars, the highest planetary summit in the solar system at 72,000 feet, this Event demands 3.5 days of continuous self-powered vertical. Summit, descend, repeat. Under your own power. No gondola. No shortcuts. No flat miles. Every foot of gain is matched by an equal foot of descent. This is the Beyond-Everesting-Challenge.

Solo, with a Trail Buddy at 50% off, or as a Trail Family FlexRelay team of four. Your pace. Your summit. Your proof. The Cadre treks every Event alongside you. Medical support on-Mountain throughout. You are never alone on that Mountain.

🧭 Event Navigator

Kuwohi

12 hrs

Double Kuwohi

24 hrs

Answer the Bell Basic

24 hrs

Denali

48 hrs

Everest

72 hrs

Answer the Bell Full

84 hrs

Olympus Mons

84 hrs

🏔️ IronHike Venues

Same Signature Elevations. Different Mountain.

Mohawk Mountain

📍 Cornwall, Connecticut

Duration 84 Hours

Laps 122

Distance 152+ Miles

Vertical Gain 72,590'

Lap 1.25 mi · 595' gain

Course Ski slope · Forest trail

Badass Feature

The course runs on the historic Old Appalachian Trail route, the same ground where thru-hikers once walked their way north. Every lap is a piece of trail history.
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Amicalola Falls

📍 Dawsonville, Georgia

Duration 84 Hours

Laps 120

Distance 180.0 Miles

Vertical Gain 72,480'

Lap 1.5 mi · 1,208 stairs per lap · 604' gain

Total Stairs 144,960 (round trip)

Course 67% stairs · 33% paved single track

Badass Feature

The course begins at the famous Reflecting Pool and climbs the AT Approach Trail, the official gateway to the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail. Every lap starts where thru-hikers begin their journey north.
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🗓️ Event Schedule

📋

Check In & Safety Briefing
Wednesday evening

🚀

Start - IronHikers Away
Thursday at midnight

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Finish - Last Bell
Sunday at noon

✅ What's Included

⛺Tenting space on-Mountain, included for you and up to 6 spectators at no extra charge

🔥Base Support Station with shade, fire pit, hydration, snacks, and Tribe camaraderie

🏔️Summit Support Station, water and support at the top of every lap

🏅Personalized Event bib and Summit Tokens for lap tracking

🥇Finisher's medal and finisher's hat

💧Skratch Labs® hydration, electrolytes, energy chews, and endurance snacks on course

📋Custom training plans via Chaski Endurance Collective

📞Monthly Tribe Calls with the Cadre and fellow Mountain Athletes

🚑On-Mountain medical support throughout the Event

👣The Cadre treks every Event alongside you. You are never alone on that Mountain.

🅿️Free parking for Mountain Athletes and spectators

🤜A new Tribe. Bragging rights. Proof.

💬 "I DNF'd the first time. Came back, made a plan, and stuck to it flexibly. That's the whole game."

— Dr. Scott Festa · 1st Olympus Mons Finisher

🏆 Olympus Mons Ultra vs The World's Hardest Ultras

When measured by the three factors that define Endurance Event difficulty, Vertical Total, Vertical Density, and Flat-to-Up/Down Miles Ratio, the Olympus Mons Ultra stands alone. At Mohawk Mountain, 477 feet of gain per mile — the continuous climbing and descending workload forces failure faster than almost any other event on this list.

Barkley Marathons, Tennessee, USA

Approximately 60,000' of gain. Olympus Mons delivers 12,590' more. Every foot of gain is matched by an equal descent, eliminating the recovery-friendly flats found at Barkley.

Hardrock 100, Colorado, USA

33,000' of gain. Olympus Mons more than doubles the total vertical demanded by Hardrock. No altitude debt. Just relentless vertical volume.

UTMB, Chamonix, France

32,800' of gain. Olympus Mons requires climbing UTMB's total vertical twice, plus an additional 7,000 feet. Unlike UTMB's long valley flats, there is no relief from the vertical here.

Tor des Géants, Aosta Valley, Italy

78,700' gain over 205 miles, the highest total gain on the list. But vertical density tells the real story: Tor des Géants runs at 383'/mi. Olympus Mons at Mohawk runs at 477'/mi. No flat miles. No recovery. Every step counts.

💬 "My calves were burning so bad on the first few laps I didn't think I was going to make it. Once I got into a groove I could see it was possible."

— Jack "Quadzilla" Jones · 2nd Olympus Mons Finisher

🪜 Olympus Mons at Amicalola Falls vs The World's Most Famous Staircases

At Amicalola Falls, a complete Olympus Mons is 120 laps, up and down the staircase each time, for a total of 144,960 stairs. Here is what that looks like compared to some of the world's most famous staircase experiences, each measured the same way: one complete climb and descent.

46.0x

Empire State Building, New York

3,152 stairs for one complete climb and descent. Doing a Olympus Mons is equivalent to 46.0x complete climbs and descents of Empire State Building.

43.5x

Eiffel Tower, Paris

3,330 stairs for one complete climb and descent. Doing a Olympus Mons is equivalent to 43.5x complete climbs and descents of Eiffel Tower.

40.8x

CN Tower, Toronto

3,552 stairs for one complete climb and descent. Doing a Olympus Mons is equivalent to 40.8x complete climbs and descents of CN Tower.

34.4x

Willis Tower, Chicago

4,218 stairs for one complete climb and descent. Tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Doing a Olympus Mons is equivalent to 34.4x complete climbs and descents of Willis Tower.

26.2x

Manitou Incline, Colorado

5,536 stairs for one complete climb and descent. America's most extreme staircase. 68% max grade. Doing a Olympus Mons is equivalent to 26.2x complete climbs and descents of Manitou Incline.

💬 "The hardest thing I've ever done. It took me three attempts to finish it."

— Jason Dow · 3rd Olympus Mons Finisher

👥 How You Can Do This

Three participation formats. Every format earns the same summit. Every format earns the same proof.

👤

Solo

Go it alone, surrounded by a Tribe. Your pace. Your summit. Your proof.

👥

Trail Buddy

Bring someone. 50% off with code buddy50. Twice the suffering. All the proof.

👥👥

Trail Family

FlexRelay team of four. Self-managed pacing. No minimum laps per person. Discount built in.

🏆 The Legendary Finishers

Only three Mountain Athletes in history have stood at the Final Bell for the last time and deposited that last token. This is their club. There is room for one more.

Dr. Scott Festa

1st Olympus Mons Finisher

Spring 2024 · FKT 63+ Hours

Jack "Quadzilla" Jones

2nd Olympus Mons Finisher

Fall 2024

Jason Dow

3rd Olympus Mons Finisher

Fall 2025

💬 "I made it to lap 67 before my body just said no. I'll be back. This Mountain isn't done with me."

— Mike · IronHike Olympus Mons Athlete

Your legacy begins now.
Dates, Availability and Registration 🎯

💬 "I've run ultras on four continents. Nothing prepared me for this. I left everything on that Mountain. I mean everything."

— Dave · IronHike Olympus Mons Athlete

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IronHike Olympus Mons Ultra

What It Is The IronHike Olympus Mons Ultra is an 84-hour Beyond-Everesting Endurance Event available at multiple venues across the USA. Named for Olympus Mons on Mars, the highest planetary summit in the solar system at 72,000 feet. Summit, descend, repeat under your own power for 3.5 days. Targeting 72,000 feet of self-powered vertical gain and loss across up to 180 miles. Ranked Top 4 Hardest Ultra Endurance Event Worldwide. Powered by Skratch Labs. Veteran-owned and operated. The most of any ultra under 200 miles. On Earth.

The Venues Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, Cornwall Connecticut. 122 laps, 152+ miles, 72,590 feet. 1.25 miles per lap, 595 feet per ascent. Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville Georgia. 120 laps, 180 miles, 72,480 feet. 1.5 miles per lap, 604 stairs and 604 feet per ascent. AT Approach Trail at Amicalola Falls, gateway to the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail. Mountain StairMaster endurance event Georgia. Everesting alternative Connecticut. Beyond-Everesting-Challenge East Coast USA. Elevation endurance event Georgia. Amicalola Falls endurance event. AT Approach Trail endurance event. Staircase endurance event Georgia.

The Legendary Finishers Only three finishers in the history of the Olympus Mons Ultra. Dr. Scott Festa, 1st Olympus Mons Finisher, Spring 2024, unofficial FKT at just over 63 hours. Jack Quadzilla Jones, 2nd Olympus Mons Finisher, Fall 2024. Jason Dow, 3rd Olympus Mons Finisher, Fall 2025. Hardest endurance hiking event USA. Beyond-Everesting ultra USA. Self-powered Everesting alternative. 29029 alternative. Barkley Marathons alternative. Hardest elevation Endurance Event East Coast.

Participation and Format Solo, Trail Buddy, and Trail Family FlexRelay team participation. No podium, no age groups, not a race endurance event. You vs you mountain event. Discount codes reg50, brave70, buddy50. Veterans, active military, and first responders welcome. Mountain Athlete Tribe spanning 29 states and 3 countries. Prove yourself right about you. Shared suffering Endurance Event. Multi-day vertical endurance built by US Army veterans. IronHike Endurance Productions LLC, veteran-owned endurance event series USA.
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Olympus Mons Ultra — Powered by Skratch Labs®